Somerville’s Hot Molasses are an indie rock dance band. They have frequent male/female duet vocals that can alternately remind you of the B-52’s and The Vaselines. They also describe themselves accurately as jangly and bouncy.
Their most recent EP, Frankly, starts out hot with a raucous dance track that features an unlikely combination of crunchy guitar and poppy, campy synth, and vocals that are heavy on the B-52’s influence (in the best sort of way). The EP then eases off for another four songs of straight indie rock that are less obviously dance-oriented, but no less solid. They run through a variety of styles within the general indie rock segment rather than sticking with a particular format, making the short EP a teasing ride that makes you wonder what else the band might have up their stylistic sleeves. Their sound is mature without being boring, and highly versatile. The eventual full length (if there’s one in their plans) should be interesting at the very least.
–Alexander Pinto